New Orleans police said a 15-year-old boy is in custody after his father turns him over after learning that the teen is accused of killing a woman who delivers food to her flower.
Police Inspector Sean Ferguson said the boy had admitted to a role in the shooting of 52-year-old Anita Irvine-Levig.
The victim was talking on the phone with a relative while driving to deliver groceries to them when two people walked past her car. Authorities said that one of the women then fired a rifle, mortally wounding her and her dog Chloe.
The person on the phone heard her screaming and then fell off the line. Investigators said her car collided with another vehicle two blocks away.
Soon after, the police received a report that two people – one of them carrying a rifle – had kidnapped another woman inside a nearby apartment complex and fled the car. The police posted a photo of the two suspects and sought help from the public to identify them.
Ferguson said the teen who was extradited Thursday confessed to participating in the killing, but the president did not state whether he was alleged to have fired the weapon, or discuss the motive. Investigators are still looking for “another person of interest.”
“I want to commend this young man’s father for his bravery and daring,” said Ferguson. “We need more parents like this to take responsibility.”
Mayor Latoya Cantrell agreed.
“You’ve heard me say over and over again how important it is for people to do the right thing,” the mayor said. “It was the right thing to do, and I would like to commend this family for doing it. Our way forward is a path we must all walk.”
Ferguson said the boy was facing a second degree murder charge. It was not immediately clear on Thursday whether he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
